Quantcast
skip navigation

Metro Top 10: Counting down to regular-season finales

By JIM PAULSEN, Star Tribune, 10/17/16, 12:48AM CDT

Share

The high school football regular season concludes with a full slate of games Wednesday.


Rosemount quarterback Cody Hogan (7) dives into the end zone for a touchdown as Burnsville's Jackson Martens (5) is unable to stop him during the fourth quarter of the Irish's 21-0 victory over the Blaze. Photo: David Joles * david.joles@startribune.com

One more football game left.

Well, OK, two if you count the playoff game that each team is assured. As far as the regular season goes, however, the high school football season concludes with a full slate of games Wednesday, traditionally the final day of the regular season owing to the Minnesota Educator Academy (MEA) conferences taking place Thursday and Friday.

With a few subdistrict championships on the line (can we find a less-sterile name than “subdistrict,” please?) and section seeding yet to be determined, some must-see games are on Wednesday’s schedule.

Rosemount travels to Lakeville North, where an Irish victory would give them a share of the East Metro White title. Spring Lake Park will play at Cooper in a battle between 7-0 teams for the Suburban Red crown. The SMB Wolfpack will face its stiffest test of the season when it hosts Providence Academy at Blake. Both teams are 4-0 in the Twin City Gold.

And while East Ridge has already clinched the East Metro Blue, the Raptors still have to get past dangerous Woodbury in an intradistrict rivalry game.

Here are the next-to-last metro football rankings of the season. It certainly goes by fast.

 

METRO FOOTBALL TOP 10

Staff writer Jim Paulsen’s rankings of the top metro-area teams through Week 7.

1. Totino-Grace (7-0): The Eagles haven’t let high expectations get in the way of a stellar year. A victory over winless Coon Rapids will wrap up their first undefeated regular season since moving to Class 6A in 2013.

2. Lakeville North (7-0): The defense is in championship form, giving up a stingy 174 total yards per game. Totino-Grace has done nothing to lose the No. 1-ranking, but the Panthers have made a strong case for the top spot.

3. Eden Prairie (6-1): As long as we’re talking defense, Eden Prairie pitched its third consecutive shutout Friday, beating Shakopee 45-0. The Eagles have allowed just 41 points all year.

4. East Ridge (6-1): Will Dominik London be back for Wednesday’s finale against Woodbury? Do the Raptors need him? A.J. Tittle and QB Ty Okada each rushed for more than 130 yards in a 42-14 rout of Roseville.

5. Cretin-Derham Hall (6-1): There is no gaudy statistical edge or stifling defensive advantage. The Raiders’ advantage lies in their ability to execute when it counts, perhaps the most important intangible in football.

6. Rosemount (6-1): There seems to be a theme here: defense. The Irish forced nine three-and-outs in a 21-0 shutout of Burnsville, setting up Wednesday’s sumo-sized matchup at Lakeville North.

7. Elk River (Class 5A, 7-0): There are those who believe the Elks don’t deserve a spot on this list with Class 6A teams. After scoring 36 points at St. Francis, a team that hadn’t given up more than 22 points all year, I’d say those folks just don’t know football.

8. Maple Grove (5-2): The Crimson showed some resilience in a late rally to beat Prior Lake 28-27, their third victory in a row. This is a team no one will want to face in the postseason.

9. Edina (4-3): A midseason lull saw the Hornets slip to 2-3. They’ve won their last two by wide margins, and QB Brock Boltmann is realizing he doesn’t have to do it all.

10. (tie) Spring Lake Park and Chanhassen (5A, 7-0): Is a tie a cop-out? Perhaps. But QB Alex Spillum and Chanhassen deserve a spot here. And I can’t drop Spring Lake Park after it beat highly regarded Benilde-St. Margaret’s in overtime.

 

Others worth watching: Burnsville, Blaine, Minnetonka, Mahtomedi (5A), Cooper (5A), SMB (5A).

Related Stories